A Green Gospel?

February 2012

PEEBLES BAPTIST CHURCH

Magazine

The seas roar, the forests clap their hands, eagles fly, mice squeak, geese honk, pigs grunt and flowers bloom, perhaps their whole life long, unseen by any human eye and this chorus of praise ascends to God, unmediated by any human interference. It is here that missionary earth-keeping begins and ends. The first obligation of every living creature is towards the Creator.
Howard Peskett & Rimoth Ramachandra, The Message of Mission

Unless youve been living alone in a cave for the last 15 years, you will be familiar with the message coming from Friends of the Earth, the Green Party, Al Gore, WWF and the like. The most recent emphasis of that message is about global warming and climate change, but the underlying concern for the environment includes endangered animals, the hole in the ozone layer, intensive farming, overuse of natural resources, globalisation and so on. 40 years ago, concern for the environment might have been seen as just something for hippies. For many people today however, these issues have been becoming increasingly important - they may affect how we vote, what we buy, how we travel, what we wear, what we eat, even where we go on holiday. But why am I writing about this in a church magazine? All this eco-stuff might be important, but what has it got to do with the gospel? For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, isnt our primary concern about spiritual things rather (quite literally) Earthly things? Shouldnt we be concentrating on saving souls rather than saving the planet? There are certainly those who believe that the environment should only be of secondary interest to us. Judge for yourselves - of the 275 churches in Scotland who are part of the Eco-Congregation scheme, only 4 are Baptist churches. But I think were missing something really (and I mean really) important. Heres just a starting point for us. The Earth is the Lords, says David in Psalm 24. The Bible is full of passages that speak of Gods delight in the whole of his creation, of his concern for its care, and of creations collective act of praise in response (as seen in the quote on the front page). We think of the gospel as being about the transformation of individuals. It is. But the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ is also good news for all creation. If individuals are truly being transformed, that must have a transforming impact on our communities, and ultimately on creation itself. What if we were to start thinking of environment concern as being truly part of our gospel mission? At this months Big Issue on Sundays discussion group (6.30pm on Sunday 29th January - see the box on the Whats On page for more details) we will be looking at this question. It should be a lively discussion - please come if you can!

Ian

Thank you!
Margaret Johnstone sends a big thank-you to all those who bought her Christmas cards and gift tags in December. Another 35 has been added to the Church Building Fund thanks to these sales.

For at least five years now, a very small group of folk has been meeting at 8.30 most Saturday mornings, on the plot of ground PBC owns in Victoria Park, to pray for the Church, especially that God would show us how to be good stewards of the resources He has given. If you feel prompted to join that group, you would be more than welcome! Speak to Janet, Christine or Wilma for more information. For its first meeting of 2012. the Mens Group once again extends its invitation to women this time, to hear Community Beat Officer, Vanessa Hamilton from Peebles Police Station, talk about her work and the wider role of the Police in the Borders and beyond. Tweedbridge Court Lounge, Tuesday 7 February, 7.30pm

Ladies who Lunch

Next visitthe Neidpath Inn, Old Town, Peebles (a local hostelry that gets excellent reviews!) Tuesday 31 January. Speak to Kim Strachan for more information.

Tearfund believes that prayer is a powerful tool for seeking justice and combating poverty: action is necessary, but without prayer, even our best efforts are inadequate. We are encouraged, during the week from Sunday 26 February Sunday 4 March 2012, to reflect on a world scarred by poverty, pray for spiritual and material change, and act to challenge injustice. Watch out for more information on this years One Voice prayer initiative on the Sunday morning PowerPoint Notices and on your Sunday Supplement but meantime here are two other ways to get involved: Take the Rice and Beans Challengean opportunity for individuals, families, groups or even the whole church to understand poverty issues more deeply. St Mungos Church, Balerno, took the Challenge last year. Richard McArthur, Senior Associate Minister , writes:As a church we wanted to actually do something to share our food with the hungry as God urges us to do in Isaiah 58. I also wanted us to do something to help us empathise with the billion hungry people in the world..At least half the church took part and people were sharing all sorts of stories about how it affected them. Some felt very tired, others felt very hungry, others felt it was a great detox! People found it a very challenging but very helpful experience that really did increase their compassion for the hungry of the world. Ask Christine Drummond for more information. (Please note this challenge is probably not suitable for people with medical conditions or whose jobs require high physical energy.) This years February Fling Oot proceeds will be donated to Tearfund. Get rid of some clutter, or bag a bargain, all for a good cause unsold goods will be donated to Bethany Christian Trust. Frank and Christines house, 10am 2pm, Saturday 25 February. Snacks and light lunches available. For info / uplift of goods, tel 01721 722062

Prayer Points for February

Pray for the family of Meryl Davidson, and for Hazel and her family as they mourn baby Jack, that the God of all comfort will comfort them and sustain them now, and in the days ahead. Pray for the Church Business Meeting on Wednesday the 1st of February, that all that has been prayed about, planned, and discussed will bring Glory and Honour to our Father and be fruitful and blessed. Pray also to be ready and willing for change. Lets pray that wherever we go we will reflect the love of God. The February fling oot will soon be upon us. Lets pray for a very real sense of Gods blessing and the fellowship that it brings. Pray for the new ministers coming to the town - Jim Benton-Evans at St Peters, and (assuming the vote is positive) Malcolm Jefferson at St Andrews Leckie. Lets ask God to bless them and their families as they settle in.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Please pass prayer requests to Wilma Wintour, 01721 723023

in Brazil with Wycliffe Bible Translators

Bible School at Cathie and Judys house in Manaus

Dear all,
Just this morning the ten Apurina who have been staying with us in Manaus left by passenger/cargo boat to return home. The Bible school went really well and the Apurina were really interested and asked lots of questions. Please pray that what they learned at the course will bring them into a closer relationship with the Lord and that they may be used to bring others also to the Lord. Now Judy and I hope to relax for a couple of days after all the hard work of looking after these Apurina, cooking and teaching etc. Thanks for your prayers for us. In Him,

Cathie

Brad, Judy and Cathie with the ten Apurin

The Tweedgreen Challenge Live More, Use Less shows how, with a few simple changes, we can eat more healthily, shop locally, reduce household fuel bills and save on travel and carbon costs. The programme lasts for six weeks, and is designed to be fun, informative and interactive. It aims to encourage people to use our resources wisely, to support our local economy to make it more resilient to future changes and to enhance our sense of community. The Challenge was launched in November and has already had a good response from the public. Through the challenge, people around Tweeddale are experimenting with new ways to make life easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The Food Challenge cookery lessons, hosted by Val Brunton from the Sunflower Restaurant in Peebles, have been a great success. Val shows how to make a simple sauce into a family favourite, how to plan your meals and how to reduce waste by making delicious meals out of leftovers. Meanwhile, the Travel Challenge offers free bike and car maintenance classes, free eco-driving classes and some great ideas for reducing your travel costs. The Energy Challenge lets you to find out all about your electricity use, how much appliances cost to run and helps you identify areas where cost savings can be made. The challenges offer solutions as well as giving you tasks to carry out. Joining the Challenge is free. Tweedgreen is offering a variety of incentives and prizes to join the challenge, including free cooking lessons; discounts at local shops, restaurants and local attractions; vouchers for local bike shops; and free fuel efficient driving lessons with the Institute of Advanced Motoring. Gary White, Tweedgreen Project Coordinator said: This is a really fun way of meeting new people, learning some new skills and saving some money along the way. If you are interested in taking on the Challenge, call the Tweed Green Office on 01721 729258.

MISSION POSSIBLE!

Engage, the supporters magazine from BMS World Mission, has a monthly feature called The Big Picture - stunning images from around the world which show a little of what life is like in a different culture. This months picture is reproduced above, and shows a young Italian woman being baptised in the Mediterranean Sea by our own BMS pastor David MacFarlane and his Filipino colleague. David and Ann MacFarlane are our own BMS link missionaries, and have been serving in Italy since 1993 doing church planting work. If you would like to find out more about David and Ann, you can find their BMS webpage at www.bmsworldmission.org/admacfarlane.

Church members meetings are an important part of our life together in the Baptist Church. The church meeting is an illustration of the priesthood of all believers - it is the occasion when members come together to prayerfully discern Gods will for their life together. In Baptist churches the final authority rests not with the ministers or deacons but with the members gathered together in church meetings. It is the church meeting which, for instance, appoints ministers, elders, deacons and others who exercise various forms of leadership within a local congregation, agrees financial policy and determines mission strategy. Our next church members meeting, on Wednesday 1st February, will amongst other things be looking at how we can develop our small groups. We will also be voting on a small but important change to our constitution, which changes the number of trustees we have to reflect current charity requirements. Please make this meeting a priority, and ensure that you give some time to preparing for it in prayer.

The funeral for Jack Montgomery, Hazels great-grandson, will be held at 11am on Tuesday 31st January, at St Mungos Church in Penicuik. Meryl Davidsons funeral will be held at the Leckie Memorial Church in Peebles, on Friday 3rd February, also at 11am.

Looking back and looking forward.

A special commemorative edition on Friday 20 January marked the closure of a weekly publication that had served Christians in Baptist Churches for more than 156 years. The final issue celebrates the papers contribution to the life of the denomination, and features intriguing snapshots of the world according to the Baptist Times across the eventful years since its inception, when it had been known as The Freeman. For the last few years, your editor had a Baptist Times subscription as a much-appreciated birthday present. I will greatly miss its arrival in the post every Friday although there wasnt usually much Scottish news, it was a reliably interesting read, with wide-ranging articles and features, and a letters page that made me realise our denomination is a much broader church than one might sometimes think. Falling circulation and difficulties in attracting advertisements were behind the papers decision to close, but new opportunities are offered by digital media. Online resources that partially filling the gap left by the paper include: MondayFriday the Baptist Times Daily News Sweep, which brings by email Religious news headlines from the UK and worldwide Opinion pieces on faith from blogs and news websites Interesting events happening that day, both Christian and secular Links to other events and interesting websites Id highly recommend this resource but be warned, hours can disappear when you start following some of the links The Baptist Times Weekly Round-Up is also now available from The Baptist Times website (an A5 digest of Baptist news and features from the UK and abroad). If you dont have internet access and would be interested in receiving a printed copy of the Round-Up please let me know. The website itself is being revamped, and promises to include podcasts and video content when its re-launched in March. To sign up for these online resources, visit http://www.baptist.org.uk/n ews-email-newsletters.html

Whats on when.
Prayer is where the action is John Wesley Vickys Tearoom

Sunday 12 February

CHURCH PRAYER MEETING

SATURDAY 4 February Wilma and Willies house, 9am
Even if youre not involved as a helper, please do pray for the Tearoom and for our guests.

Its our turn to do Lunch and Chat again on 27 February. Please see Linda Bell with offers of help!

Letter writing, and prayer for persecuted Christians, at Willie and Wilmas home, on Tuesday 14 February at 10am.

Church Members Meeting for Business

WEDNESDAY 1st FEBRUARY 7.30pm

in Tweedbridge Court

Climate change, over-consumption, threats to biodiversity issues for governments and activists, but do they have any serious connection with the Christian faith? Sunday 29 Jan, Liz & Lindas, 6.30pm

Services, February 2012

Sunday 5 February
Communion Servers: Christine Drummond, Linda Bell Stewards: Margaret Cowan, Vi Brown Flowers: Linda Bell Teas: Kenny Hamilton

Transport: Fergus Brown, Margaret Cowan, Christine Drummond

Secretary: Christine Drummond, tel 722062, Treasurer: Liz Keiro, tel 730217 Drummond, 722062,

Pastor: Ian Gray 07881 518854 pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org Pastor: Ian Gray 07881 518854 pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org Pastor: Ian Gray 07881 518854, pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org Pastor: Ian Gray 07881 518854 pastor@peeblesbaptistchurch.org

Sunday 12 February
Stewards: Liz Keiro, Hazel Hoggan

Services in Victoria Park Centre, unless otherwise indicated Services in Victoria Park Centre, unless otherwise indicated Services in Victoria Park Centre, unless otherwise indicated Services in Victoria Park Centre, unless otherwise indicated

Website: www.peeblesbaptistchurch.org Website: www. Website: www. Website: www.

Flowers: Vi Brown

Teas: Helen Henderson

Transport: Lindsey Gray, Margaret Cowan, Douglas McCall

Sunday 19 February
Communion Servers: Jacqueline Wilson, Fergus Brown Stewards: Jacqueline Wilson, Pat Hamilton Flowers: Christine Drummond Teas: Hazel Hoggan

Transport: Fergus Brown, Margaret Cowan, Christine Drummond

Sunday 26 February
Stewards: Carlyn McCall, Stan Henderson Flowers: Pat Hamilton Teas: Kirstin Gray

Transport: Lindsey Gray, Margaret Cowan, Douglas McCall

COMMUNION TABLE SETTING in February Jacqueline Wilson